Scaling down of a deworming programme among school-age children after a thirty-year successful intervention in the Bolivian Chaco.

OBJECTIVE: Preventive chemotherapy is the WHO-recommended control method for soil-transmitted helminthiases. In the Bolivian Chaco, 6-monthly single-dose mebendazole delivery to school-age children achieved a dramatic decrease in soil-transmitted helminthiases prevalence between 1987 and 2013. Consequently, in September 2016, preventive chemotherapy delivery was interrupted in nine rural communities. In compliance with WHO recommendations, we intensified surveillance to monitor soil-transmitted helminthiases prevalence and detect potential changes that would require interventions. METHODS: We conducted two cross-sectional parasitology surveys 12 months apart (September 2016-2017) among school-age children living in the communities where preventive chemotherapy delivery had been halted. Study design, methods of sampling and sample analysis technique (direct microscopy, Kato-Katz technique) followed WHO recommendations, aiming to obtain data representative of the Bolivian Chaco ecological zone. RESULTS: We collected 426 samples in 2016 and 520 in 2017. Soil-transmitted helminthiasis prevalence was unremarkable: 0.7% (95% CI 0-1.5%) in 2016 and 0.8% (0-1.5%) in 2017. Conversely, the prevalence of tapeworms (13% in 2016, 12% in 2017) and intestinal protozoan infections (81% in 2016 and 75% in 2017) continued to be high. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the role of preventive chemotherapy in reducing soil-transmitted helminthiases transmission, as otherwise poor hygienic and health conditions persist in the Bolivian Chaco. A national survey, involving areas from all the ecological zones of Bolivia, is now warranted.

Deworming protocols of island snakes kept in capitivity at the Butantan Institute

Bothrops insularis and B. alcatraz are critically endangered species inhabiting two different coastal islands of the state of São Paulo. Although they are closely related species, they show distinct morphological characteristics due to their isolation from the continent. There is a general lack of studies on conservation and captive husbandry of these species, including their parasites. Our aim was to evaluate the deworming protocols used in B. insularis and B. alcatraz in captivity. We evaluated three deworming protocols through fecal examination: (1) adult B. insularis were treated with ivermectin and praziquantel, (2) adult B. alcatraz were treated with ivermectin, and (3) juvenile B. insularis and B. alcatraz were treated with ivermectin. The snakes are kept in the Laboratory of Ecology and Evolution at the Instituto Butantan (São Paulo, Brazil) for conservation purposes. To evaluate the deworming protocols, we performed the Willis-Mollay (1921) technique. After treating with the first protocol, 19% of the animals showed only eggs of a pseudoparasite (Syphacia obvelata). After the second protocol, 75% of the animals showed cestodes (Ophiotaenia sp.). After the third protocol, 32% of the animals showed only the pseudoparasite, S. obvelata. The pseudoparasite was found only in B. insularis individuals that ate adult mice in captivity. However, cestode eggs were found only in those adult snakes of the second protocol that did not receive praziquantel. Based on the negative results for pathogenic parasites, we conclude that the first protocol was effective for adult snakes whereas the third protocol was effective for juveniles.

Diphyllobothrium sp. en Canis familiares de la región del subtrópico argentino (Puerto Iguazú, Misiones) / Diphyllobothrium sp. in Canis familiaris from the subtropical area of Argentina (Puerto Iguazú, Misiones)

En este trabajo se informa el hallazgo de huevos de Diphyllobothrium sp. en ejemplares de Canis familiaris (perro doméstico) de Puerto Iguazú, una ciudad subtropical de la provincia de Misiones, Argentina. Durante 2013, en el marco de un relevamiento de la fauna parasitológica de los perros de Puerto Iguazú, se detectaron dos casos positivos en la búsqueda de huevos de Diphyllobothrium sp. La materia fecal de los perros fue recolectada en frascos con formol al 10% y procesada mediante las técnicas de sedimentación de Telemann y de flotación de Sheather. Dado que Misiones no forma parte de la zona endémica de difilobotriasis y considerando, además, su ubicación fronteriza, este hallazgo reviste gran importancia para la salud pública. Se señala la necesidad de actualizar el estado de conocimiento sobre el ciclo de vida de estos parásitos identificando el rango de hospederos intermediarios y definitivos, su potencial zoonótico y la situación epidemiológica en áreas no endémicas

This paper reports the first finding of Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs in Canis familiaris (domestic dog) from Puerto Iguazú, a subtropical city of Misiones province, Argentina. In 2013, two positive cases of Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs were detected during an annual parasitological survey of dogs. Dog feces were collected in vials containing 10% formalin and processed using Telemann's sedimentation and Sheather's flotation techniques. The two cases were detected in rural areas of the municipality. Since Misiones is not a part of the endemic area of diphyllobothriasis and given the fact that it is located in the three-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, we consider this finding of great importance to public health. We stress the need for updating the current knowledge about the life cycle of these parasites considering the range of intermediate and definitive hosts, their zoonotic potential, and the epidemiological situation in non-endemic areas

Diphyllobothrium sp. in Canis familiaris from the subtropical area of Argentina (Puerto Iguazú, Misiones).

This paper reports the first finding of Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs in Canis familiaris (domestic dog) from Puerto Iguazú, a subtropical city of Misiones province, Argentina. In 2013, two positive cases of Diphyllobothrium sp. eggs were detected during an annual parasitological survey of dogs. Dog feces were collected in vials containing 10% formalin and processed using Telemann's sedimentation and Sheather's flotation techniques. The two cases were detected in rural areas of the municipality. Since Misiones is not a part of the endemic area of diphyllobothriasis and given the fact that it is located in the three-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, we consider this finding of great importance to public health. We stress the need for updating the current knowledge about the life cycle of these parasites considering the range of intermediate and definitive hosts, their zoonotic potential, and the epidemiological situation in non-endemic areas.

Enteroparasitoses em crianças

Este material compõe o Curso Autoinstrucional de Capacitação em Atenção Integral à Saúde da Criança II, produzido pela UNA-SUS/UFMA e voltado para médicos que atuam na Atenção Básica. Trata-se de um recurso educacional interativo que apresenta particularidades das manifestações clínicas e do diagnóstico das principais verminoses em crianças.